Her Mistake
by ciderwriter
Summary: There was only one way to get Rita Skeeter to stop writing articles about harry after Hermione caught her animagus form and now after the war is over and won. does Hermione have to pay the price?
1. The way to the end

Hermione granger couldn't believe that state of the wizarding world. Harry potter, her best friend had just saved all of their lives and what did they do to repay him. Sprout rumours and articles about teddy Lupin being his son and Ginny Weasley being a slut.

The couple were afraid to go out. They knew who was to blame as well. And they intended to stop her.

Rita Skeeter. Hermione sobbed into the cool night air as she walked the streets of London.

It was all her fault. Hermione had silenced her once before. But at a great cost. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid. But she couldn't tell Harry or Ginny. She had made the mistake and she had to face the consequences.

It had been at the end of their fourth year when Hermione had captured skeeter. She made her swear to stop writing stories about Harry for a year. But Rita didn't trust her. So she made the mistake.

The unbreakable vow.

She promised to not tell the ministry about her being an unregistered animagus as long as Rita didn't write any horrid stories for a year.

But that year passed. And the next year the articles had started again. And Hermione knew the one way to stop them. She had to go to the ministry and tell the authorities.

She had prepared a case against skeeter and made several copies. She left on I the burrow, in Grimauld place, in Ron's flat and at her parents house.

_Oh Ron. _

She would miss him the most, he had made her so miserable so much of the time. But now he was hers and she was completely his. And she couldn't express in words how much she loved him.

She had written a will in secret and sorted her affairs. She had Written a letter to Ron to say goodbye. To Harry and Ginny she wrote a letter of apologies for not having the Gryffindor courage to do it sooner.

She just wanted them all to be happy.

That's what they had worked for. That year in the tent. They worked for love and peace and happiness. And this was the only way to get those things.

She knew Ron would be fine. Girls were practically throwing themselves at the war hero. She turned the dark street and entered an old red phone box.

"Name and destination please?" the ministry woman's voice blasted into the telephone box.

"Hermione granger, here to expose Rita skeeter" she told her sadly. A badge popped out she pinned it to her cloak glumly holing back her tears. Her mind went numb as the earth rushed past the little box.

When it stopped she stepped out into the ministry of magic atrium. The once glorious atrium lay in ruins still. The sad woman walked through the masses of employees as if she hadn't really seen them. She let tears stream down her pale face freely now. It was nearly time. She took the lift to the department of magical law enforcement.

She entered the heads office gulping back sobs.

She sat down. The head walked in.

"can I help you Miss Granger?" he asked worriedly. It was a bad day indeed when a hero of the second war was in your office crying.

"I would like to report an unregistered animagus" she said through sobs that had escaped her throat.

"….okay" he said. She pulled out the files on skeeter and clutched them to her chest.

"who is it?" he asked.

"I….I… tell Ron and Harry and Ginny I love them please! And my parents." she hung her head and wiped her eyes. When she raised her head her eyes were red and puffy but no tears were left.

She placed the paperwork gingerly down on the table and took a deep breath.

"Rita Skeeter"


	2. Aftermath of the End

Hello, I never intended to write this but a few people have asked me to so here you go!

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><p>Harry James Potter awoke in a strangely sombre mood. He had moved into the dusty and dank Grimuald place ever since his return from Hogwarts. It had taken a very long conversation with Molly Weasley, but eventually Harry had been allowed to move out into the house he inherited from his godfather. He had taken over Sirius's bedroom, and done little in the way of decoration. He liked it; it reminded him of the man who had lost his life so soon after re-gaining it.<p>

Harry rolled over under his red and gold coloured duvet and watched the sun rise into his window. It was a cloudy but bright day, and there was a gloomy peace in the world. It was fitting to the downfall of Voldemort and the loss of those who fought against him.

It also reminded him of the grey print of the newspaper that would surely be waiting on the table for him with his breakfast. Yet more slander to his name. He had experienced this ever since his fourth year, all thanks to Rita Skeeter. The woman was the devil. She had obviously paid no attention to Hermione's warnings.

Hermione Granger was Harry's best friend, and had been for most of his Hogwarts life. She had been working intensely on a case against Skeeter for weeks, not talking to any of them.

The stress had been getting to her, anyone could see that. She had dark bags under her eyes constantly and seemed overly emotional- crying at little things.

Harry knew when the trial was over, everything would be better. They could start again and enjoy life for the first time in years.

However, these things took time and Harry knew better than anyone how to be patient. Ron wasn't as sure but said nothing; he didn't want to upset Hermione. Their relationship was still fresh and pushing things was tricky. Especially considering how much they normally argued over trivial things.

Harry smiled and sat up in bed. Ginny was coming over today, and he intended to talk to her about something big. Moving in together. It was perfect, she would soon be of age and legal to move away and Harry had a house ready made.

Suddenly, Harry Potter heard a scream.

"HARRY!" Harry jumped up, dressed in only his boxers and raced out his bedroom. He took the stairs three at a time, bounding down into the kitchen where the fireplace was still freshly lit green from his girlfriend's arrival.

"Gin! What's wrong!" he said, panicked, as he entered the kitchen.

Ginny looked up, her scarlet hair falling from her face revealing large brown eyes filled with all the sorrow of the world.

In her hand, she held a tear stained letter.

"Ginny… Ginny what's the matter?" Harry asked softly, stepping towards her and taking her hand.

"Hermione… she's gone…" Ginny said, her kind voice breaking into a sob.

Harry frowned, taking the letter.

_Dear Harry and Ginny,_

_I'm sorry. I know I can't make up for all the pain I have caused you but I hope by doing this I have redeemed myself in some way._

_It's my fault you are repeatedly attacked by Skeeter, and I can never forgive myself. I should have just ended her, instead of making silly little deals. _

_Instead of making the unbreakable vow._

_By the time you read this, I will have broken the vow and revealed her in order to stop all the pain her lies are causing you. If I was half the Gryffindor I thought I was, it would have been door years ago. _

_Unfortunately, I'm not._

_I'm so sorry to both of you, and know I love you and will be watching down on you._

_Hermione Jean Granger._

Harry looked up, tears forming in his own emerald eyes.

"But… I don't understand." He half whimpered, letting the letter fall from his hands onto the table.

There was an instant in which Harry and Ginny's eyes met and they both knew they understood. By the time they were reading the letter, Hermione Granger would be gone.

There was a pop as the face of Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared in their fireplace.

"Harry, Ginny. We're going to need to see you in Mungos I'm afraid." His deep voice said grimly.

Ginny nodded bravely, stuffing the letter into her pocket and taking Harry's hand.

"We'll be there momentarily."

Ronald Weasley woke unnaturally early and his first thought was 'food.'

He bound out of bed and into the kitchen of his small flat in London. He was living in a muggle part of town due to Hermione's natural ability to fit in anywhere, and hence always had food stocked so we would have to apparate out anywhere.

He poured himself a bowl of cereal, topped it with milk and traipsed into the living room to sit down.

That's when he spotted the letter. ~It was on the table, next to a thick wad of paper that Hermione had been working on for weeks.

He frowned, placing his cereal down and picking the letter up. With a jerk of his thumb, he ripped the envelope off and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Ronald, _

_I am sure by now you'll have heard from Harry and Ginny about what's happened. If not, find them. _

_I just want you to know that I love you. I've always loved you. I have loved you since the first time you insulted me._

_I will miss you more than words can say, you're the reason I kept fighting last year in the search for horcruxes. _

_I'm so sorry for everything, and hope you can forgive me._

_Hermione x_

Ron read the letter many times as his confusion grew. He didn't understand a word of it, and just as he went to Floo Harry- A face popped up in his fire.

"Ronald," Kingsley said sadly. "Can you get down to St. Mungos please? Urgently." the minister asked.

"Uh, yeah sure." Ron replied worriedly.

There were several pops in the fireplaces of St. Mungos as Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ronald Weasley and Andromeda Tonks flooed in. They were shortly followed by not only Molly and Arthur Weasley, but The Grangers.

They all met each other with equally confused and upset faces.

"There was a letter?"

"I don't understand!"

"She said it had to be like this?"

"I don't understand!"

"She made the unbreakable Vow!"

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND." Ronal roared, silencing them all. "Will somebody please explain to me what is going on, why my sister is crying and where is Hermione?"

"I can answer all of those Mr. Weasley." Kingsley said sadly, entering the Lobby.

The group turned to the minister of magic and waited for his words in silence.

"Miss Granger made an unbreakable Vow to unregistered animagus Rita Skeeter to protect Harry. But there was a flaw in the agreement which meant after a year; Rita was free whilst Miss Granger was still bound to the agreement."

Kingsley paused to make sure they all understood.

"In order to end the slander Miss Skeeter has been printing about you all, and to get Rita imprisoned where she belongs… Miss Granger broke the vow she made and sacrificed her life."

Silence ensued. Slowly, it was filled with sobbing.

Ron Stepped forwards with a look of pure agony on his freckled face.

"Why couldn't she let us do it? … Why?" He asked his voice cracking.

Kingsley sighed and cast his eyes to the floor.

"Miss Granger told you. If you were to tell, it would still break the Vow. She didn't want you to feel guilty for her death."

Harry felt Ginny's hand slip into his.

"She's really gone?" the youngest Weasley asked, heartbroken.

Kingsley nodded regretfully.

"She's really gone."

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><p><strong>3 years later.<strong>

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><p>Everything was different now. The world was at peace.<p>

At Potter Manor, Harry and his Fiancé Ginny were sat on the back lawn staring into the blue sky. Across the way, Ron was stood behind a BBQ whistling merrily as the smoke blew up into the air.

In 3 years, times had changed beyond measure. The friends were known, loved. They were safe to go out in public, free from the evil clutches of Rita Skeeter. They were happy.

It had taken a while to get used to the peace. After Rita Skeeters trial, the harsh reality of life was thrust upon them once more. They realized all over again what their happiness had been worth, their best friends life.

Eventually, they came to terms with Hermione Grangers death, and knew she wouldn't have wanted them to wallow around wishing there had been another way. So they chose to live their lives, for her.

Of course, they thought about her everyday, and every year they would take the time to spare one day. One day especially to remember her. One day to talk about her, and laugh and remember all the little things from the past, so that they could enjoy their futures.

Harry and Ginny were happily engaged, living together in harmony. Ronald had taken over Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes from George whilst he enjoyed the first few months of parenthood.

They all knew that somewhere above them their bushy haired friend was watching them with a smile on her face, showing the magically reduced teeth they had all grown so accustomed to. And they knew, someday they'd see her again.

* * *

><p>well, there you go. I wasn't really inspired to do this. I just did it :L Sorry if it sucks :P<p>

thoughts?


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